Children's Voices: Children's Perspectives in Ethics, Theology and Religious Education
Katholiek Universiteit Leuven
Faculty of Theology
Centre for Academic Teacher Training with the support of FWO-Vlaanderen
Introduction
Theme and structure
In the social sciences, the perspective of the child is increasingly being taken into account. Also, in different theological disciplines, children's perspectives have recently become an important theme. In this international expert seminar, we wish to bring together experts in the various social sciences, ethics, Christian theology and religious education.
The main questions of this seminar are threefold:
- Why is it important that we 'hear the voices' of children and what does this mean for how we treat and have relationships with children?
- What would the 'voices of children' express? How do children experience society and, in particular, religion, and what do they have to say about it?
- What do the 'voices of children' mean for theology, ethics and religious education? In what way can our theology change when we see from the perspective of children?
In this expert seminar we wish to explore this threefold question in a systematic way by initiating dialogue between different perspectives on children as developed recently in Christian theology and the social sciences.
We are inviting different experts from a variety of denominational and academic backgrounds. The invitees will write an extensive paper. During three days, the experts will present their papers in 10-15 minutes. A referent will reflect on the paper and afterwards the participants will enter into dialogue with each other. Different participants will give longer, keynote lectures.
For whom?
This expert seminar is open for professors and students; teachers; people responsible for education, caregivers, family workers; alumni of the Faculty of Theology; priests and members of religious communities; pastoral workers; and all those who are interested in the wellbeing and the experiences (with religion) of children.
Where?
All lectures and discussions take place in the Conference room of the Pope's College, St. Michielsstraat, 3000 Leuven (next to the Faculty of Theology). The evening lecture on Thursday will take place in the 'Kleine Aula' (room MTC 00.15) of the Maria Theresiacollege, St. Michielsstraat 6, 3000 Leuven.
Information and registration
Please register before December 1, 2006, by submitting the registration form and by transferring the indicated amount of money to the bank account 432-0001721-21 (K.U.Leuven) while mentioning 'Children's voices' and the name of the participant. For international participants: IBAN: BE17432000172121, BIC: kredbebb.
Participation in the 'open lectures' (Thursday): 3 euro, one day without meals: 5 euro, full programme without meals: 10 euro, one day with meals: 45 euro, full programme with meals: 130 euro.
If you need lodging, you will find information at: http://www.leuven.be (English version).
For more information: Tel: +32 (0) 16 32 84 01, Fax: + 32 (0) 16 32 37 98
Mail: annemie.dillen@theo.kuleuven.be
Speakers and abstracts
- Reimund Bieringer (K.U.Leuven, Belgium)
- Gerhard Buttner (University Dortmund, Germany)
- Marcia Bunge ( Valparaiso University, USA)
- Roger Burggraeve ( K.U.Leuven, Belgium)
- Elaine Champagne (Institut de pastorale des Dominicains, Montréal, Canada)
- Pamela Couture ( Saint Paul School of Theology, USA)
- Peter De Mey (K.U.Leuven, Belgium)
- Marc Depaepe ( K.U.Leuven, Belgium)
- Henri Derroitte (UCL, Belgium)
- Rita Ghesquière ( K.U.Leuven, Belgium)
- Hubertus Lutterbach (Universität Duisburg-Essen)
- Bonnie Miller-McLemore ( Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, USA)
- Julie Rubio ( Saint Louis University, USA)
- Adrian Thatcher ( University of Exeter, UK).
- Bruno Vanobbergen (Universiteit Gent, Belgium)
- John Wall ( Rutgers University, Camden, USA)
- Karen-Marie Yust (Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, USA)
Programme
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Open part – main lectures
09:00: Welcome (prof. D Pollefeyt, director of the Centre for Academic Teacher Training & prof. M. Lamberigts, dean of the Faculty of Theology)
09.15: Lecture: Spirituality of Children. 'Children's Voices, Religious Experience, and Mature Faith' (Bonnie Miller-McLemore)
09.55: Discussion
10.15: Coffee & tea
10.30: Lecture God is Not Your Devine Butler and Therapist! Countering 'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism' by Teaching Children the Art of Theological Reflection (Karen-Marie Yust)
11.15: Discussion
11.35: Children's own voices: a Contribution of Children (children who follow Catholic religious education and their teacher, Miek Meeussen)
Expert seminar
12:00: Lunch (Alma II)
13:"0: Children and Education from a Historical and Contemporary Perspective (short presentations, reflection and discussion)
MARC DEPAEPE& GEERT THYSSEN, The Sacralization of Childhood in a Secularized World: Another Paradox in the History of Education?
BRUNO VANOBBERGEN, The Disappearing Child or the Disappearing Adult?
15:15: Coffee
15:45: Images of children in Children's Literature, Church History and Systematic Theology (short presentations, reflection and discussion)
HUBERTUS LUTTERBACH, "Children's Prayers Pervading the Clouds". In Connection with Children's Voices, Religious Liturgy and Charitable Effects.
PETER DE MEY, 3 How Do Children Become Active Subjects within the Domestic Church? Rereading Schleiermacher's ‘Weihnachtsfeier' in View of Developing a Roman Catholic Ecclesiology of the Domestic Church.”
RITA GHESQUIÈRE, Through A Glass Darkly. The Challenges of Contemporary Children's Literature.
18:00: Dinner at ‘Ter Eycken', Eikstraat 10, Leuven (http://www.tereycken.be)
Public lecture
20:00: Lecture on Children and ethics (in ‘Kleine Aula', MTC 00.15).
JOHN WALLl, A Childist Christian Ethics of Responsibility.
Respondent: Roger Burggraeve
Friday, January 12, 2007
Expert seminar
09.00: Children, Ethics and Pastoral Care (short presentations, reflection and discussion)
PAMELA COUTURE, The Lost Face of Poor Children in Larger Social Systems.
ROGER BURGGRAEVE, The Ethical Voice of the Child. Plea for a Chiastic Responsibility in the Footsteps of Levinas.
10.30: Coffee & tea
11.00: Images of Children from a Biblical and Theological Perspective (short presentation, reflection and discussion)
MA. MARILOU IBITA & REIMUND BIERINGER, (Stifled) Voices of the Future: Learning About Children in the Bible.
ADRIAN THATCHER, Beginning again with Jesus.
12.30: Lunch in Alma II
14:00: Religious Education of Children (short presentations, reflection and discussion)
JULIE HANLON RUBIO, Praying in Contemporary Christian Families: Listening to Children's Voices and Parents' Fears.
HENRI DERROITTE, Vers une catechèse enfants non-admis? (Towards a catechesis children not allowed?)
15:30: Coffee
16:00: Guided tour through Leuven, with a focus on spirituality (by prof. dr. Johan Verstraeten, vice-dean, Faculty of Theology, K.U.Leuven)
19:00: Dinner
in Ter Eycken.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
09.à0: Spirituality and Children (short presentations, reflection and discussion)
GERHARD BUTTNER, Where Get the Children their Theology?
ELAINE CHAMPAGNE, Perspectives in Children's Spirituality.
10.30: Coffee
10:45: Children's Own Voices: a Musical Contribution (by Annelien Boonen and Katia Malecki) (Chapel of the pope's college)
11:15: Concluding lecture: Marcia Bunge: The Vocation of Children and Parents: Sacred Vision and Spiritual Practices.
11:50: Concluding discussion
12:15: Liturgical service (Chapel of the pope's college)
13:00: Lunch in Ter Eycken.
Questions
Below, we are providing an overview of the challenges we expect to face during this expert seminar, both general and specific. The questions are structured according to four main themes. We wish to stress that there are relations between different questions, so that answering some questions implies also giving answers to others.
We will ask the authors/speakers to choose some of the questions to reflect upon in a systematic and integrated paper.
1. What is the nature and status of children? In what sense have pedagogical theories about children been developed in the last centuries that are relevant for theology, ethics and religious education today?
1.1. Are children in our day treated as 'little adults'? If so, is this a good evolution? Does our society/church make children stay 'little'?
1.2. Do we see that children are 'set apart' for education and socialisation and/or put on a 'pedestal' – sometimes treated as 'holy'– in our society? Is this evolution positive or is this 'setting apart' also a kind of dehumanization?
1.3. What is the value of developmental models when speaking about and dealing with children? What is the relation between 'developmental models' and the idea that children should not be treated as 'not-yet' adults?
1.4. Can 'children's rights' be legitimised on the basis of a theological perspective?
1.5. Should children be seen as sinful, a-moral, or innocent? Can children be moral agents?
2. Children, families, society and churches: can and should children really 'participate'?
2.1. Which responsibilities do adults have regarding children? Why should parents especially take care of children?
2.2. Why do many theological and ethical writings about marriage and the family fail to include reflections on children and education? What would an adequate 'theology of the family', including children's perspectives, look like? Should marriage be defended on the basis of the rights of children?
2.3. What is the role of churches, the state and civil society in protecting children, in providing children with resources and in giving children 'participation-rights'? What role should children assume in religious communities, parishes and congregations?
2.4. Is it ethically permitted and valuable to strive for children's participation in families, schools and society when there are so many children suffering and dying of hunger, war, family violence, etc.? What is the relation between striving for the rights of protection and provision as opposed to striving for more participation rights?
2.5. What is the influence of the market economy and the market paradigm of thinking upon children and the way in which people and churches treat children?
3. Doing theology with, for and of children, or: what is the relation between 'child theology', 'theology of childhood' and 'doing theology with children'?
3.1. When we use the word 'child theology' as a term for the movement which tries to re-examine and reinterpret classical theological viewpoints from the perspective of the child and in view of children's well being, what are the main challenges for 'child theology' today? What is the relationship between 'child theologies', 'feminist theologies' and 'liberation theologies'?
3.2. How might we summarise the basic contemporary Christian insights of a 'theology of childhood' according to the conception of 'theology of childhood' as theological reflections upon the 'nature' of children and the responsibilities of adults towards children? What are the main challenges in developing a 'theology of childhood'?
3.3. Doing 'philosophy with children' is becoming more and more popular. We recognise a similar movement in religious education, where scholars speak about 'doing theology with children'. In what ways are the two approaches related? What are the (dis)advantages of 'doing theology with children'? What are the pedagogical and theological bases for this approach?
3.4. How can the concept of 'child of God' be interpreted in relation to real children? What does this concept say about children, adults and God? What do certain theological ideas, such as humans being created in 'the image of God' and God being incarnate in a human person, a child, mean in the context of developing a 'theology of childhood'? Which insights about children can we gather from Christian doctrine and tradition, especially from theologians like Schleiermacher, Von Balthasar, Rahner, etc.?
4. How are children presented in the Bible? What valuable (or problematic) insights on children does the Bible offer us for today's ethics, theology and religious education? What can we learn from the presentation of Jesus as a child in view of developing a 'child theology'?
4. Religious education and catechesis with children: What does the biblical idea of children as 'models of faith' mean for religious education and catechetics?
4.1. What does the concept 'mature faith' mean? Is it preferable to use this concept in the context of differences between adults and children? Is the aim of religious education to lead children to a mature faith? Do children also play a role in the faith maturation of adults?
4.2. More and more attention is given to 'children's spirituality'. What is the relevance of the research on 'children's spirituality' for religious education and catechesis? Is it correct to claim that children have a natural openness towards transcendence or God? How can we describe the religious potential of children?
Pictures of the seminar
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